Pile-driver.



Ii. AUNES.

PILE DRIVER. I Arrmmnon nun rnB.4,'19oa.

Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

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Leonard'flwaes L. miss;- rm. DRIVER. APPILIOATION innn rnB.'4,19oa. 918,944. Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

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.L. AUNE'S.

PILB DRIVER. APPLICATION FILED r33. 4, 190a. I

" Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

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' PILB DRIVER.

APPLICATION FILED. 1'33. 4, 1908. ,9 1 8,944.

LEONARD AUNES OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

I FILE-DRIVER.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 20, 1909.

Application filed February 4, 1908. SerialNo. 414,272.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEONARD AUNns, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Cambridge, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pile- Drivers, of which the following is a specificat1on. I

This invention relates to pile drivers, the object of the invention being to provide a simple, economical and eflicient machine of the character referred to which will-be under the control of a single operator .and which embodies a self-contained motor for operating all parts of the machine, thus doing'away with the use of steam and water and the leaky joints, stufiing boxes and pistons incident to the use thereof.

With the above and other'objects in view, the invention consists in the improved construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the piledriverembodying the present invention, indicating by dotted lines the angular adjustment of the hammer and the guide frame therefor. -Fig. 2 is a sectional front elevation of the machine. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view thereof.- Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the hammer showing the chain-engaging hook and a portion of the locking means therefor.

Fig. 5 is a section-through the hammer taken at right angles to Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of an attachmentdesign'ed for driving a pile farther than the normal limits of the hammer will ordinarily permit. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the hammer tripping mechanism showing the parts thereof segregated.

The pile driver contemplated in this invention, in its preferred embodiment, em bodies a truck or carrying frameembodying longitudinal rails 1 and cross bars 2connect- 3 ing the rails 1 at any desired number of points, whereby a rigid truck frame is formed, 1 the same being mounted upon carrying wheels 3 which are j ournaled in forks 4 having a swiveled connection with the truck a frame so that the wheels 3 may be turned at suitable angles to form checks for preventing f movement of the truck frame in any direc tion when set up at the point wherethe pile driver is to be used. The rails 1 also constitute track rails for the sup orting wheels 5 of asuperimposed truck em odying the longitudinalbeams 6 and cross bars 7, the last named superimposed truck frame having the entire pile driving mechanism mounted thereon and being adapted to be shifted lengthwise of the carrying truck frame to properlyv position the hammer of the pile driver with relation to the pile to be driven. The upper truck frame is connected with the lower truck frame by stirrups 8 which prevent disengagement between the wheels 5 and the track rails 1 said stirrups being secured to the superimposed truck frame and extending downward and hooking beneath the longitudinal track rails 1 as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

V The hammer or driver 9 is mounted to travel in a suitable guide frame embodying parallel uprights 10 provided in their inner faces with guideways or grooves 11, which receive guide ribs 12 on o posite sides of the hammer as best shown in 1g. 3. The guides 10 are connected at their top by a cap or yoke bar 13 while the lower ends of said guides are pivoted as shown at 14 to the superimposed truck frame whereby the guide frame as a whole is adapted to be set vertically as shown in full lines in Fig. 1 or at an angle from the vertical as indicated by dotted lines in V the same figure. The guide frame has connected therewith side braces 15 which are pivotally connected at their lower ends to the superimposed truck frame as shown at 16 and the guide frame is further supported by means of adjustable longitudinal braces 16 which at their upper ends are pivotally connected to the guide frame as shown at 17, the lower ends thereof being pivotally connected at 18 to shoes 19 which rest on top of rails 20 secured to and extend ing lengthwise of the tops of the rails 6 of the superimposed truck or carriage. Each of said shoes 19 comprises one or more upstandin-g lugs 21 to which the lower end of the adjacent longitudinal brace 16 is pivotally connected and also comprises a portion which extends along the top of the rail 20 and is secured thereto by a fastener 22 which may consist of a screw or bolt adapted to enter anyone of a series of holes 23 in the rail 20, :Wherebythe shoes 19 may be moved along the rail 20and secured to'give the 1160- essary angle to the guide frame in which the hammer 9 moves.

The hammer is raised by means of an endless chain 24 which at the top runs over an idler and take-up sprocket wheel 25, while at its lower portion said chain passes around a drive sprocket wheel 26 mounted fast on the main drive sprocket shaft 27 journaled in suitable bearings on the guide frame.

Motion is imparted to the shaft 27 and consequently to the hoisting chain 24 by means of a motor 28, preferably an electric motor mounted on the superimposed truck frame or carriage 6 as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the motor shaft 29 being provided with a pulley 30 from which a band 31 extends around and drives a larger pulley 32 and countershaft 33 journaled in suitable bearings on the frame. On the same shaft 33 is another pulley 34 from which a drive band 35 extends around a pulley 36 on a pinion shaft 37 ournaled on the machine frame and carrying a pinion 38 which meshes with a spur gear wheel 39 on a secondary shaft 40 mounted in bearings on the frame, said secondary shaft 40 having another spur gear wheel 41 which meshes with a similar wheel 42 preferably of larger diameter fast on the main sprocket shaft 27 above referred to. A holding dog or pawl 43 on the frame engages the last named spur wheel 42 for locking the transmitting gears when the clutch hereinafter described is thrown out. By the means just herein above described motion is transmitted from the motor 28 to the hammer hoisting chain, adapting said chain to elevate the hammer as hereinafter described.

In order to effect an engagement and disengagement between the hammer and hoisting chain therefor, the hammer has connected thereto a hook 44, the shank 45 of which works in a recess 46 in the hammer as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 and is pivotally mounted at its heel end within said recess as shown at 47, the relation of the hook to the hammer being such that the hook has a normal tendency to fall into its operative position which is the position illustrated in Fig. 4 wherein the point of the hook projects beyond the point of the hammer so as to be engaged by any of the cross-bars of the links of the hoisting chain. Journaled in bearings on the hammer 9 is a rock shaft 48 forming one element of the hammer tripping mechanism which will now be described. The rock shaft 40 is provided with a laterally projecting stop lip 49 and opposite said stop lip is a lug 50 provided with a pivot receiving hole 51 for the pivot of a latch 52 having a corresponding pivot hole 53 whereby the latch is pivotally connected to the rock shaft 48. The latch just under the pivot is provided with a weight 54 and a laterally projecting latch lip 55 which in one position of the pivoted latch is adapted to engage a shoulder 56 preferably in the form of a notch or slot in a cleat or projection 57 on the hammer 9. At its free end the latch 52 is provided with a slotted head 58 which embraces the rock shaft 48 and is adapted to move transversely of said shaft as the latch as a whole swings on its pivotal connection with the rock shaft.

Just back of the pivoted latch 52 there is arranged a catch 59 which is given a normal tendency to spring into engagement with the hook 44 by means of a spring 60 which is connected at one end by a lug or flange 6]. to the hammer. It will be noted that the spring is U-shaped and that it is straddled by the catch 59, such shape of the spring permitting the trip finger 62 of a trip lever 63 to move within the bend of the spring, adapting said finger to act thereon to throw the catch out of engagement with the hook. The trip lever is fulcrumed at 64 intermediate its ends and in addition to the trip finger 62 said lever is provided with a trip cam 65 which cooperates with the slotted head 58 of the pivoted latch in the manner hereinafter explained. The trip lever comprises a fork 66 between. the arms or branches of which operates a trip arm 67 projecting from a runner 68 which moves up and down on or lengthwise of a trip shaft 69. This trip shaft extends lengthwise of the hammer guide frame and is journaled at its opposite ends in suitable bearin gs thereon. The shaft 69 is preferably square in cross-section while the sleeve portion of the runner 68 is also square so that said runner is caused to turn with the shaft 69 and swing the trip arm 67 so that it will operate in the arm 66 to swing the trip lever 63 on its fulcrum.

By now referring to Fig. 3 in connection with Figs. 4, 5, and 7, and starting with the hook 44 in its inward or withdrawn position, it will be observed that when the trip arm 67 is swung to the left in Fig. 3, it will move the trip finger 62 in the opposite direction and shift the catch 59 out of engagement with a catch shoulder 70 at one side of the hook. This unlocks the hook which then swings forward by gravity to the position shown in Fig. 4 in readiness to be caught by the next link of the hoisting chain. As the hook swings forward, the combined rock shaft and pivoted latch swing together so as to bring the stop lip 49 behind a stop shoulder 7]v on the outer edge of the hook, the weight 54 assisting in this partial rotation of the shaft in order to bring the stop lip 49 into a substantially pendent locking position. Simultaneously, with this locking movement of the shaft 48, the slotted head 58 drops and projects the latch lip 55 into engagement with the fixed shoulder 56, thus completely looking the rock shaft against movement and thereby at the same time locking the hook 44 in its operative position, in which position the hook remains until the weight has been elevated to the desired point and it becomes necessary to release the weight or hammer.

The hook is released by turning the trip shaft 69 in the opposite direction which forces the trip cam under the slotted head 58 of the latch 52. This raises the slotted head 58 and swings the latch andits pivot and moves the latch lip 55 out of engagement with the shoulder56. Then in the further movement of the trip cam 65 in the same direction, said cam acts on the slotted head to return the latter and as the latch 52 is connected to the rock shaft 40, the rock shaftis given a partial turn so as to rock the stop lip 49 upwardout of engagement with the shoulder 71 of the hook. Now in view of the fact that the point of the hook 44 is considerably to one side of the vertical line of its pivot 47, the upward pull of the hoisting chain on the hook 44 will cause said hook to be forced forward within the plane of the'hammer and as the hook becomes disengaged from the hoisting chain, the hammer falls, striking the pile and driving the same in the usual manner. In view of the fact that the trip shaft 69 extends the entire height of theguide frame, and as the runner 68 moves lengthwise of said shaft, being carried along by and with the hammer, the latter may be tripped at any point in the height of the guide frame.

In order that the runner 68 may be carried along with the hammer 9, the runner is provided as shown in Fig. 2 with a grooved collar 72 in the groove of which lie the arms of a carrier fork 7 3 which is connected to and carried by the hammer 9, the construction thus described causing the runner to travel with the hammer while atthe same time permitting said runner to turn with the shaft.

In order to impart the rotative movement tothe trip shaft 69, said shaft is provided adjacent to its lower portion with a toothed segment 74 which meshes with one section 75 of a rack bar movable in a suitable guide on the machine frame, said rack bar comprising another section or series of teeth .76 engaged by a toothed segment 77 on a hand lever 78 movable over a supporting segment 79. This hand lever is placed where it will be in convenient reach of the operator who at any moment may swing said hand lever and correspondingly turn the trip shaft 69 for the purpose above described.

In order to prevent the hammer from ascending too high and injuring or wrecking the machine, I provide in connection with the pinion 38, a sliding clutch 80 which is keyed to the clutch shaft and which has its clutch face 81 engaging a corresponding clutch face on the pinion 88 for locking said pinion to the pinion shaft. Associated with the clutch 80 1s a clutch lever 82 fulcrumed &

at 83 on the machine and having one end yieldingly anchored by means of a spring 84 interposed between one end of said lever and a fixed point 85 on the machine, the lastnamed end of the frame being shown as connected to one extremity of the segment 79 for convenience. Connected to the opposite end of the clutch lever 82 is a cord 86 which extends around a guide pulley 87 upward to a sliding clutch trip 88 at or near the top of the guide frame, the said clutch trip being provided with a projecting finger or shoulder 89 with which the hammer comes in contact as it approaches the upper end of the guide frame. Then in the further upward movement of the hammer, the clutch trip is pushed upward, drawing upward on the cord 86 and swinging the clutch lever so as to disengage or throw out the clutch 80. This throws the chain driving mechanism out of gear and the hammer stops before reaching the top of the guide frame and remains there until it is tripped by the operator by means of the hand lever 78. As soon as the pressure of the hammer against the clutch trip 88 is relieved, the clutch lever is swung in the opposite direction by the spring 84 thus moving the clutch into engagement with the pinion 38 and again setting the driving gear in operation.

In order to adjust the tension of the hoisting chain 24, the upper sprocket wheel 25 has the shaft thereof journaled in bearings 90 which are adjustable up and down on the guide frame, said bearings being mounted in slots 91 and engaged by take up screws 92 threaded through hearings or nuts 93 on the frame, this adjustment being important and necessary in order to obviate backlash of the chain with the consequence to release the hammer.

In primarily setting the pile to be driven, the weight may be hoisted and held elevated by means of'an auxiliary cable 94 which runs over a sheave 95 at the top of the guide frame and is provided with a hook 96 adapted to engage a corresponding hook 97 on the top of the hammer, the cable 94 extending from the sheave 95 downward around a direction pulley 98 and then falling to an auxiliary pulley 99 shown as mounted on the counter-shaft 33 although it will be apparent that said, pulley may be mounted on any other rotary shaftof the driving mechanism. This will enable the hammer to be elevated and suspended during the operation of setting a new pile.

When it becomes necessary to drive a pile farther than the lowest downward movement of the hammer as in the case of a submerged pile, I provide an attachment which is illustrated in detail in Fig. 6, said attachment comprising a plunger or pile section 100 clamp collar 101 hinged as shown at 102 to a plunger head or runner 103 having guide flanges 104 which move up and down in the guideways 11 of the guides. The runner 103 is set into the guide frame beneath the hammer, thus b 'inging the upper end of the plunger or pile section 100 directly in the path of the center of the hammer, while the lower end of said plunger is placed on the top of the pile to be driven, the hammer in its downward stroke acting on the plunger instead of directly on the pile.

Having thus fully described the invention, wnat is claimed as new is:

1. A pile driver comprising a frame, a hammer, and a guide frame therefor, an endless hammer-hoisting chain, a hammer trip, and means including a shaft running length wise of the guide frame for throwing said trip at any point in the movement of the hammer.

2. A pile driver comprising a frame, a hammer, a guide frame therefor, an endless hammer-hoisting chain, a hammer trip, and means including a shaft extending lengthwise of the guide frame and a runner thereon for throwing said trip at any point in the movement of the hammer.

3. A pile driver comprising a frame, a iammer, a guide frame therefor, an endless hammenhoisting chain, a ham ner trip, and means including a shaft and runner movable on said shaft and carried along by the hammer for throwing said trip at any point in the movement of the hammer.

i. A pile driver comprising a frame, a hammer, a guide frame therefor, an endless hammer-hoisting chain, means for actuating said chain, andv hammer-tripping mechanism including a movable chain engaging hook on the hammer, a shoulder on said hammer, and a shiftable latch adapted to interlock with said shoulder.

5. A pile driver com 'irising a frame, a hammer, a guide frame therefor, an endless hammer-hoisting chain, means for actuating said chain, and hannner-tripping mechanism including a movable chain. engaging hook on the hammer, a shoulder on said hammer, and a spring pressed latch adapted to snap into engagement with said shoulder to lock the hook in its operative position.

6. A pile driver comprising a frame, a hammer, a guide frame therefor, an endless hammerhoisting chain, means for actuating said chain, and hammer-tripping meclmnism including a movable chain engaging l'lOOii' on the hammer, a shoulder on said hammer, and a pivoted latch adapted to engage said shoulder for locking the hook in its operative position.

7. A pile driver comprising a frame, a hammer, a guide frame therefor, an endless hammer-hoisting chain, means for actuating said chain, and hammer-tripping mechanism including a movable chain engaging hook on the hammer, a shoulder on said hammer, a rock shaft having a lip adapted to be engaged behind said shoulder and adamed to lock the hook in its operative position, and means for locking and rocking said shaft.

8. A pile driver comprising a frame, a hammer, a guide frame therefor, an endless hammer-hoisting chain, means for actuating said chain, and liammer-tripping n'mclumism including a movable chain engaging hook on the hammer, a shoulder on said hammer, a rock shaft having a stop lip to engage said shoulder, a pivoted latch carried by the rock shaft and provided with a lip adapted to engage a fixed shoulder on the hammer to rock the rock shaft, and means for releasing said. latch.

9. A pile driver comprising a frame, a hammer, a guide frame therefor, an endless hammer-hoisting chain, means for actuating said chain, a chain-engaging hook carried by the hammer, means on the hammer for locking and releasing said hammer, a shaft extending lengthwise of the guide frame, and a runner movable lengthwise of said shaft and adapted upon rotation of the shaft to actuate the l1amn'ier-tripping mechanism carried by the hammer, substantially as described.

10. A pile driver comprising a frame, a hammer, a guide frame therefor, an endless hannner-lmisting chain, means for actuating said chain, hammer tripping mechanism carried by the hammer and including a trip lever, a trip shaft extending lengthwise of the guide frame, and a runner movable lengtlnvise of said shaft simultanemzsly with the hammer and provided with a trip arm which is in engagement with the trip lever on the hammer.

1 x hammer, a guide frame therefor, an endless hammer-hoisting chain, means for actuating said chain, hammer-tripping mechanism on the hammer including a trip lover, a trip shaft extending lengthwise of the guide frame and embodying an arm which is in engagement with the trip lever on the hammer, and means within reach of the operator for rocking said trip shaft and tripping the hammer at any point between the limits of its movement.

12. A pile driver comprising a frame, a hami'ner, a guide frame therefor, an endless hammer-hoisting chain, means for actuating said chain, tripping mechanism carried by the hammer including a clutch lover, a trip shaft extending lengthwise of the guide frame, means for rocking said shaft, and a runner movable lengtlnvise of said shaft and yoked to the hammer, said runner being keyed to the shaft to turn therewith.

13. A pile driver comprising a frame, a h an'nner, means for hoisting and tripping the pile driver comprising a frame, a

head movable in the guide frame of the ma- 10 chine and having a jointed and adjustable connection with said plunger.

hammer, a plunger or pile section, and means for positioning and holding said plunger beneath the hammer and in the path of move ment thereof. In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 14. A pile driver comprising a frame, a hammer, a guide frame, means for hoisting and tripping the hammer, a plunger or pile section adapted to be laced under the hammer and in the path t ereof, and a plunger l in presence of two witnesses.

LEONARD AUNES. Witnesses:

CARL GYLFPKE, FRANCIS J. BRINE. 

